The Compleet Molesworthby Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle (co-creator and illustrator) had been on my TRL for ages. I was intrigued by the illustrations that were depicted on the cover and its comparison to my dear Roald Dahl. This is a classic children's series (bound together in its entirety here) about a boy named Nigel Molesworth who narrates his time in a boy's boarding school called St. Custard's. Willans captures the spirit of boyhood in a private boarding school especially well owing to his being a Headmaster himself. (This is even funnier once you get to know Headmaster Grimes who is particularly fond of the cane.) This book is replete with bad spelling (evidenced in the title) and absolutely stunning illustrations by Searle who was a satirical cartoonist (perfect for this series). Molesworth and his buddies get up to many hi-jinks and shenanigans which are generally instigated by our hero. Amidst all of this tomfoolery Willans and Searle have taken jabs at the inequalities of the classes by showcasing the Head Boy Grabber as only being placed in such a prestigious position because his parents shell out lots of money. (The Headmaster is greedy and generally does all he can to cut corners most notably with the selection of food offered to the students.) If you can get used to the bad spelling, grammatical errors, made-up slang, and seemingly arbitrary abbreviations for everything you will see why this has held up as a true children's classic. It's witty, cutting in its bluntness, and in general everything I hoped it would be. 10/10

So much win. It's kind of amazing how much I love Moriarty's books. I really liked how it all came together. Interesting universe with so many pirates and dragons and water sprites, but also committees and dull trips and people being late to pick one up at the station. I only had two tiny quibbles: it's weird to read about a girl living in a more-or-less-contemporaneous setting who wears dresses or skirts all the time. It's just a slight thing, but it pulls me just the tiniest bit out of the story every time a dress or skirt is mentioned because I so rarely see girls or women in them anymore. And also, this is a very white world. Not that everyone is explicitly called white, but because no one isn't. The illustrations reinforce the white-is-default impression. It's a good thing that I've become so accustomed to reading books with a diverse cast that I can't stop noticing when there aren't any other characters.

Despite those two issues, I loved the book. It's my favorite middle grade in I don't know how long. Highly recommended for white readers.

Dishonesty and ADHD can be a common pair. Sometimes, teens with ADHD may be truly unsure of what the truth is and what’s not. Lying can be connected to executive functioning issues. Lying can serve as a coping mechanism for kids with ADHD. For example, you ask your child if they cleaned their room and they lie and say “yes”. Simple tasks can be complex or overwhelming for children with ADHD. So, rather than asking for guidance, they will lie and say they completed the task. This can often feel like the easiest solution to their challenges. The role of executive functioning issues is quite significant in these situations. Kids may struggle with the following:

Connecting the now to the future

Thinking of, or remembering, consequences

Organization and time management

Understanding how they got to the place of lying, to begin with

Understanding that it’s the lying that got them in trouble (not what they lied about)

Knowing how to fix the original problem behind the lie

It is important that you don’t dismiss your child as defiant and inherently dishonest, when that simply may not be the case. This type of lying isn’t about defiance. It’s about having trouble coping with challenges.

How to Help Decrease the Dishonesty

Your job as a parent is not to burden your child with blame. This can create a constant power struggle and let on many more problems. There are some measures you can enforce at home to help get your child on a track being open and honest.

Here are some constructive ways to help your child stop lying.

Anticipate where he might struggle and give help. If your child struggles with orderly tasks like setting the table, break it down. Give them a list of clear steps. Look for patterns in when they lie to figure out where there may be trouble spots.

Don’t take lying personally. Try to remember that the dishonesty isn’t out of defiance or disrespect. Focus on what led to the lie rather than the lie itself.

Avoid situations where lying is an option. If you asked your child to clean their room before watching tv, don’t ask if they did it. Go check. And if they didn’t, turn off the tv until the task is complete.

Tie everything together. Help your child make connections. Talk about what happened and help them recognize what went wrong. Help them brainstorm ways to handle things differently next time.

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This is weird and why I consider my own ratings to be bunk: In June I picked this up read the first chapter and abandoned it. Just wasn't what I felt like reading. But it was on the list for Baker Street Irregulars, and I usually like Johnson, so...and I made it to the second chapter and then I was reluctant to put it down. Loved it. So Gothic romance and Nancy Drew and Sherlock and a boarding school too. Nom nom nom. I liked Stevie even as she exasperated me.

By this time seems like I should be better at telling the difference between Not for Me and Not for Now, but no. Midnight in the Garden was probably the first book I picked for this Bingo, and I gave up entirely. Twenty five or so years ago I loved it. Go figure.

Continuing the trend of reading books selected for the Summer Reading program, I read Graveyard Shakes by Laura Terry. The reader follows two very different storylines that at the outset have no correlation to one another. The first revolves around two sisters who have newly arrived at a boarding school and are struggling to come to terms with their change of environment. The second focuses on a little ghost and his friend Modie (I don't know either) who as best as I can tell is a reanimated corpse. So on the one hand we are rooted in reality with a situation that seems very familiar: wanting to fit in yet also wanting to be recognized as the individual that you are. On the other hand, the supernatural elements of ghosts and zombies are compacted with horror because the only way that Modie can stay 'alive' is to absorb the soul of a dead (i.e. murdered) child. Yes, this is a middle grade graphic novel. (It is at this point that I have essentially 'sold' this book to the reluctant child reader standing in front of me while the parent stares at me open mouthed.) The good parts: The illustrative style was excellent and I really enjoyed the character journey of Victoria, the older sister. The not so good: It was way more disturbing and graphic than I expected plus the ending was entirely too predictable after all of the narrative build-up. While I did thoroughly enjoy the illustrations, I don't know that I'll be rushing out to read Terry's next work (unless the cover draws me in again). I didn't overwhelmingly dislike this book but I also didn't love it with all of my heart and soul (get outta here, Modie!). The little guys and ghouls in your life that love a good ghost story will probably fall head-over-heels for this one. 5/10

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